


Covered In The Colors

by social_reject



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 16:55:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7853374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/social_reject/pseuds/social_reject
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It feels like a never ending battle. It’s such a fucking contradiction, it’s never ending but it already feels like I’ve lost.”</p><p>All Calum wanted was to see color; the color of the sky, the color of grass and flowers, and most importantly, the color of his soulmate's eyes. But everyday he spent in a gray haze was another day of lost hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Covered In The Colors

Day to day life for Calum was bleakly filled with gray. Gray skies and gray buildings filled with gray books that lined gray shelves. Life was monochrome to Calum, even his own happiness that he used to feel so vividly had slipped to something muted. A month ago Michael had been the last of his friend group to see color, his smile so sickeningly wide it felt like a spear in Calum’s gut. He was happy for his best friend, he had after all found his soulmate, but Calum felt casted to the side and out of reach. As if he were reaching for color that wasn’t there. Sometimes Calum wondered if the whole world was just playing a joke on him, some torturous game. But he could see how Michael beamed about the apparent blue of his soulmate’s eyes, about his blond hair and the way his cheeks would stain pink when he got flustered. Calum wasn’t mad at Michael for finding his soulmate, he was jealous. If Calum could see color he’s sure he would have been seeing green- whatever green looked like. 

It was a fall day and leaves were scattered on the sidewalk, just slightly different shades of gray spanning on one big length of gray. He kicked his foot out, his shoulders sagging as he went to go meet with Michael and Luke, already feeling dread build up in his stomach. The way they looked at each other sent disgust through Calum’s body, he  _ wanted  _ that. He wanted to look at the world in color, to see colors of love and the color of the sky- god, he’d heard so much about the sky in the past month. He wanted to feel grass under his feet  _ and  _ see the color of each blade. But more than that, he wanted to see his soulmate. He wanted to know what color their eyes were, what a blushing face really looked like. He yearned for his world to be complete. 

He took a seat at outside the small cafe they were meeting at, pushing his chair to reach the lengths of shade the umbrella in the table could provide. He texted Michael asking where he was and sat in wonder about the sun as he waited for his friends to show up. Not even two minutes later he saw them strolling up to the table hand in hand. They took their seats, respectively as close together as they could be. Calum restrained from rolling his eyes and reminded himself they were still in their honeymoon stage. He could only hope it would wear off fast. 

“So, Calum, I sort of have a proposition for you,” Luke started so formally that it would have made Calum chuckle if Michael hadn’t also been staring at him with such seriousness that it was jarring. 

Calum leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “And what would this proposition be?”

“A date. A blind date, a color blind date- er, well that was bad wording. I’m so sorry I just- I-” Luke began shakily, Calum guessing that he was blushing at his fumbly words. “You see, my friend- he still hasn’t met his soulmate yet and I told him about you and I think maybe it’d be worth a try?” 

Calum threw his head back and sighed. Luke had been vigilant in his quest to find Calum’s soulmate, trying to set him up with anyone and everyone he had contact with, whether that be an actual discussion or accidentally bumping shoulders. He’d call Calum all excitedly, babbling about how this one person could actually be  _ the one.  _ Calum would merely sigh into the phone and entertain the thought to Luke, all the while not bothering to hold onto even a shred of hope. Calum was tired of building up hope only to see it smashed into a million gray shards. He shook his head at Luke this time, not able to stomach entertaining this ridiculous thought. 

“No Luke, I’m done with that. I just want it to happen when it happens,” Calum lied. In all honesty, he wanted it to happen now. 

“C’mon Cal, it could be worth it. You never know. Don’t miss an opportunity,” Michael persuaded. 

“It’s just getting ridiculous,” Calum admitted, rubbing his hands over his face and then plopping his elbows back on the table to rest his head in his hands, left to mumble between his fingers. “It feels like a never ending battle. It’s such a fucking contradiction, it’s never ending but it already feels like I’ve lost.” 

Calum finally looked up from his hands, staring back at him was Michael with a stoic look on his face, his jaw settling in a tight line. “That’s why you have to put your helmet on and charge in there with all you have. Maybe it will end in flames, but maybe you’ll also be able to see the color of those flames someday.” 

Calum breathed deeply and let Michael’s words sink into his bones. He didn’t know how to respond. Michael was right, but Calum’s stubbornness was strong and even though he may have admitted defeat in the battle of soulmates, he hated to admit that Michael was right. It’s just not how the universe was supposed to work. 

He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I guess,” he mumbled quietly, not bothering to look directly at Michael because he knew damn well he would be wearing a smug smirk of victory. 

“Good, now ask Luke what his name is and for his phone number.” 

“Luke, what’s his name and number?” Calum repeated, trying very hard to pick up the shards of hope that had slipped from his hands so many times.

“Ashton,” Luke replied before digging out his phone to give his number to Calum. All the while, Calum repeating a new mantra of  _ what the hell, it’s worth a try.  _

*

 A color blind date- as Luke had so pegged it- didn’t happen immediately for Calum and Ashton. Their schedules were conflicting but the more time they spent texting the more hope Calum was able to build, and he hated himself for it. It was as if he’d never learn his lesson. He knew he was putting Ashton up on a pedestal before actually meeting, but he was in a haze of texts, just hoping reality matched up to the screen of his phone. Ashton was everything Calum could ever want in a soulmate, he was kind and considerate always expressing apologies when plans fell through and always quick to try and set up an alternate. 

It wasn’t just Ashton’s cordiality that had Calum bending all of his beliefs, it was the person he was. A brother, a student, a drummer, an artist, a gentle soul who also had strong beliefs of his own. At first he had agreed with Calum on the whole notion of them being soulmates as ridiculous, but they’d both dropped the act of cowardice and began to truly let each other in. Their texts progressed to phone calls but stopped short of facetime, they’d both agreed the first time they saw each other would be face to face. They were going to allow that much chance of seeing color, that much hope of finding a soulmate within each other.  

It was weeks that they’d been texting, Calum slowly immersing himself in Ashton- in  _ hope _ . Calum could tell that Michael and Luke had noticed, but he thanked god they hadn’t said anything. That would have just felt like rubbing salt in his wounds. But with each day he texted Ashton he felt as though a wound was closing and his heart was beating faster and stronger than ever before. He’d tried to confide in Michael once throughout the weeks, it was hard for him to open up, but Michael was one of the only people able to peer into who Calum really was. 

“I hate- despise even- the fact that you and Luke may be right, but I can’t help what I’m feeling,” Calum admitted. 

“But he won’t meet up with you in person?” Michael questioned, already knowing the answer. “Doesn’t that seem a little suspicious?” 

“No, we’ve both had to cancel. School is picking up for both of us and our class schedules are so alternate, we’re both frustrated Mikey.” 

Michael put his hands up as if in surrender. “Okay, all I’m saying is, if I thought I’d found my soulmate I would make the time.” 

Michael left then, leaving Calum sat on the edge of his bed left to sit and ponder his words. He reached for his phone an immeasurable amounts of times, confidence teeter tottering rhythmically. One moment he was ready to take the plunge and call Ashton, prepared to demand that they meet. The next, he couldn’t do it, he didn’t want to be pushy. He wanted to let Ashton be the one to initiate it, but he had been holding onto hope for so long now, he didn’t want to start to lose it. 

*

The day after Calum talked to Michael he decided enough was enough and he was going to meet Ashton whether he liked it or not- he could only pray that Ashton did like it. He called him early in the morning, letting every unanswered ring build a pit of doubt in his stomach. On the fifth ring, an unfamiliar voice answered the phone. It was a woman. 

“Hello?” 

“I’m sorry, do I have the wrong number? I’m looking for Ashton,” Calum said hesitantly, checking his phone to make sure that Ashton’s contact information came up. It did. 

“Oh no sweetheart, he’s actually sleeping right now. I can tell him that you called though.”

Calum was unsatisfied with that answer, he tried his best to be polite when he asked who was in fact on the other line and let out a breath of relief when he found out it was Ashton’s mother. 

“I’m sure he’ll be eager to call you back,” she explained. “But I want to let him rest right now, the doctors said he needs it.” 

The phone fell onto Calum’s mattress, his heart temporarily stalling, only to start up again at a million miles an hour. 

“Doctors?” 

“He didn’t tell you? He’s been quite ill the past few days, I had to check him into the hospital last night. That boy is so stubborn, breaking fevers over a hundred and two and he still wouldn’t go to the doctor.” 

“He’s going to be okay though?” Calum asked, his voice cracking and breaking the ‘though’ into two syllables.

“Oh of course. You could even come visit him. I’m sure that’d lift his spirits, he talks about you nonstop Calum.” 

Calum’s heart soared at that, and he decided right then and there that he would in fact go visit Ashton. He made it through his classes anxiously, needing the professors to wrap it up, his knee bouncing restlessly as he watched the clock during his last class. Thirty seconds left and he would be free to meet Ashton. As soon as the professor began to dismiss them he was out of his seat and the door within a matter of seconds. The walk to the hospital was not long but the walk through the halls felt like an eternity. He came upon Ashton’s door, it was shut and Calum spent a solid five minutes contemplating whether to knock or just walk away. The decision was made for him though, the door opened and a middle aged nurse stood before him.

“You here to visit?” She asked. 

Calum’s mouth was dry but his palms were sweaty. “Yeah, yeah I am.” 

“Go ahead, he just got back from imaging, he’s awake,” the nurse encouraged with a smile. 

Calum took slow and small steps through the door, not sure what he was about to be faced with. If his world would turn to color or if he would be damned to an eternity of fighting a losing battle. He took a deep breath before stepping fully into the room to face the privacy curtain that was hiding Ashton’s image. 

“Ash?” 

The tension was palpable as Calum waited endlessly for a reply. “Calum?” 

“I-I came to visit I hope that’s okay.” 

Calum could hear Ashton shifting in his hospital bed, could hear the machine lifting itself up into what Calum assumed was a sitting position. “It’s okay. Come on in.” 

With shaking hands and closed eyes Calum ripped the curtain open all the anticipation of the day assaulting him. This was the moment. 

“Aren’t you going to open your eyes?” Ashton laughed weakly. 

“Right,” Calum said, trying to shake himself out of it. Slowly his eyes opened.

The day that Calum first saw color he was entranced by hazel; green and brown and gold flecks mixing so beautifully and rightfully together in his soulmate’s eyes. The day that Calum first saw hazel he also saw honey curls matted to a tan forehead and red rimmed eyes and flushed cheeks. Calum’s first sight of color was heartbreaking but everything he’d ever needed in his life. He moved to Ashton’s side slowly, letting flames of color burst around him. Ashton smiled smally, his lips a shade of pink that was indescribable. 

“I didn’t want you to see me like this,” Ashton confessed. 

“Why? You’re perfect,” Calum said, taking Ashton’s hand and pressing a small kiss to his knuckles. “Seeing color was so worth the battle. Ash, you’re worth fighting wars for.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh this is my first ever Cashton fic!!! Let me know what you think!!  
> 


End file.
